Stress is Bad; Massage is Good.

I don’t think of myself as a stressed person; sometimes, of course, but not often. Mostly I answer “busy” when someone asks me how I’m doing. So massage has never really been something I think about much or really enjoy; I’ve had massages from time to time, on the beach in Punta Cana, at a spa in Cancun, etc., but I never really search out a massage.

Then I heard of a Lymphatic Drainage Massage from Daiva at Radiance Spa in Jamison. Benefits of lymphatic drainage range from a decrease in facial puffiness and a boost in immune function to a smoothing of cellulite and a soothing of muscle soreness, she said.

I may not have been paying close attention to anything until she got to muscle soreness. It was a Tuesday and she was telling us about this type of massage at our weekly networking group. The past Sunday I decided was a good day to work in the yard – for 10 hours straight. Nothing hurt while I was working; Monday morning I woke up and noticed the ever-familiar pain up the back of my thighs of overdoing gardening. By Tuesday, it was a constant burn and ache, and the thought of relief sounded good to me.

She went on to say, “Lymphatic drainage massage helps deliver cellular waste and microscopic villains like viruses and bacteria, which may cause cellulite, to the lymph nodes. These filter-like masses, which are found from head-to-toe, deliver this material to the liver, kidneys, and lungs. This drainage is essential because the lymphatic system lacks a pump of its own to transport the lymph through the body and must rely on movement, muscular contraction, and massage to flush the fluid.” I’m thinking to myself – go on … “Lymphatic-drainage massage is considered a staple practice for reducing swelling, relieving fatigue, or helping the body detox, removing waste from our own metabolic processes, not heavy metals or pollutants.”

She also mentioned that while they didn’t have it on the website yet, they use it alongside of their cellulite treatment. (Body Contouring and Cellulite Reduction Treatment http://www.radiance-spa.com/specials)

I thought, why not? Not only did my legs hurt, but I was feeling a little wound up. (Stress?) I was lucky enough to get a slot relatively quickly. Well, that massage was a-m-a-z-i-n-g! I’m pretty sure I dozed a couple of times (I hope I didn’t snore!), and when it was over, I felt completely relaxed, and another odd feeling I couldn’t put into words. I just felt better overall. How can that be?

I looked up the history of lymphatic-drainage massage and found that the specific treatment, actually called manual lymph drainage (usually referred to as MLD) was developed in the 1930s in France by Emil Vodder, a Danish physical therapist, and his wife, Estrid, a naturopath. Their method is still taught to spa therapists at Dr. Vodder Schools around the world though not all therapists use the Vodder method; some learn lymphatic drainage through a course in massage school, or through training in Ayurveda or naturopathy. (A completely separate 160-hour training is required in for medical MLD.)

I am not a fan of traditional medicine, so this really was interesting to me. I hope everyone has the pleasure of experiencing such a uniquely pleasant massage. And I would hope you would make sure it’s done by someone who knows what they’re doing, like the folks at Radiance Spa!

Go ahead and give them a call – doesn’t matter if you’re male or female.  Just do it!